Header from the letter emailed to our community.
Turning the Tide on Hate and Racism in Tompkins County
CCE Tompkins strives to be an anti-racist organization and one that supports work to build strong and vibrant communities. We support the below letter, published by the Tompkins County Office of Human Rights.
Turning the Tide on Hate and Racism in Tompkins County is a Project for All of Us
6 August 2024
How does it feel to know Black educators in our community face threats of racial violence? What do you think of reports that Black farmers feel unwelcome and experience harassment? Or the tragic irony of children targeted by racial slurs and insults in Stewart Park on the Fourth of July?
We call attention to these events to condemn the brazen, racist targeting and threats of recent occurrence in our community. Acts of racist hate have no place in any community.
Admittedly, it should not take a tide of several instances for us to speak up and speak out against targeted harassment in our community.
We commit to speaking up and using our platforms to condemn hate and foster dialogue. Calling out and addressing hate is our civic duty.
We support community-based efforts to stand up to and call out racism and harassment. We also acknowledge the role government and other institutions play in preventing and responding to such acts.
It is essential to center the experiences of those who have been directly impacted by these acts of racial hatred. The pain and trauma endured by individuals who are targeted simply because of their race cannot be overstated. Their stories remind us of the urgent need for solidarity and support. As a community, we must stand together to support those who have been affected, both directly and indirectly, by these occurrences. Empathy, understanding, and active support are crucial in fostering an environment where everyone feels safe and valued.
For those of you who participate in such hateful and aggressive behavior, you fail to acknowledge the humanity of those you target. The pain you directly inflict on others, who are in every respect your equal in dignity, worth and rights, affects the rest of us indirectly. Your actions further nothing but hate. We hope you will seek the higher ground of respect for and acceptance of those whose ethnicity is different from yours.
To those who want to foster justice and peace in our community, your role cannot be understated. If you are a bystander to prejudice, intervene by interrupting and challenging discriminatory situations. Report bias or hate incidents and illegal discrimination (you may seek support from our local Office of Human Rights). Use your voice. Seek common ground with those with whom you disagree. Get to know your neighbors and build community.
If you feel the way we do, then don’t be left stunned. Community is what we all make it. Get involved. Stay involved. Together we can turn the tide on hate and racism.
Signed,
Dr. Kenneth I. Clarke, Sr., Director, Tompkins County Human Rights
African Women's Initiative, Ithaca
Dr Aloja A. Airewele, Cornerstone Ministries
Dr. Peter Bardaglio, Trustee, New Roots Charter School
Jennifer Biloski, Trustee, Village of Cayuga Heights
Shawna Black, Vice Chair, Tompkins County Legislature
Jan Bridgeford-Smith, Executive Director, Women’s Opportunity Center of Tompkins and Onondaga Counties
Deana Bodnar, Deputy Commissioner, Tompkins County Dept. of Social Services
Katherine Borgella, Commissioner of Planning and Sustainability, Tompkins County
Andrew C Braman, Deputy Director of Finance, Tompkins County Finance Department
Laura Branca, Project Director, Dorothy Cotton Institute
Travis Brooks, Tompkins County Legislator, District 1
Phoebe Brown, Alderwoman, Ward 1, City of Ithaca
Randy Brown, Legislator, Tompkins County District 8
Robert G. Cantelmo, Mayor of Ithaca
Cynthia Cave-Gaetani she/her, Executive Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension | Tompkins County
Amanda Champion, Legislature, Tompkins County District 12
Katie Church, Director, Youth Farm Project
J.R. Clairborne, Director, Tompkins County Department of Veterans Services
Millicent Clarke Maynard, Trustee, New Roots Charter School
Yolanda W. Clarke, Assistant Professor, Health, SUNY Cortland
Daniel J. Cornell, Probation Director, Tompkins County
Susan Currie, Legislator, District 3, City of Ithaca
Deborah Dawson, Tompkins County Legislator, District 10
Christina Dravis, Councilperson, Town of Dryden
Jennifer Forte, LCSW, Senior Psychiatric Social Worker, Tompkins County Whole Health
Scout Frost, Communications Specialist, Tompkins County Workforce Development
Jeff Furman, President, Ben & Jerry’s Foundation
Melissa Gallison, Ph.D., Retired/Concerned citizen
Peaches Gillette, Tompkins County Human Rights Commission
Rachel E. Graham, Executive Deputy County Clerk, Tompkins County Clerks Office
Sally Grubb, Co-President, League of Women Voters of Tompkins County
Dr. Jason Hamilton, Chair, New Roots Charter School Board of Trustees
Susan Holland, Executive Director, Historic Ithaca/Significant Elements
Lisa Holmes, County Administrator, Tompkins County
Charlene Holmes, Chief Equity and Diversity Officer, Tompkins County
Rod Howe, Supervisor, Town of Ithaca
Gregg Houck, Ithaca Youth Bureau Director, LGBTQ+ Community Liaison
Kent L. Hubbell, Trustee of the Village of Cayuga Heights
Jarra Jagne, Associate Professor of Practice, Cornell University
Norma Jayne, Deputy County Administrator, Tompkins County
Maury B. Josephson, County Attorney, Tompkins County
Alicia Kenaley, MSW, MBA, Executive Director, Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca
Kit Kephart, Commissioner of Tompkins County Social Services
Rev. Terrance A. King, Pastor, St. James A.M.E. Zion Church
Dan Klein, Chair, Tompkins County Legislature
Annie Koreman, Tompkins County Legislator
Tiffany Kumar (she/her) Alderwoman of Ithaca Ward 4
Jeanne W. Lawless, Concerned Citizen of Tompkins County
Clyde Lederman, Alderperson, Fifth Ward, City of Ithaca, NY
Jason Leifer, Supervisor, Town of Dryden
Tim Lillard, Newfield, Citizen
Jan Lynch. Executive Director, Finger Lakes Independence Center (FLIC)
Erin Marteal, Interim Executive Director, Ithaca Children's Garden
Dr. Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, Director, Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC)
Keith McCafferty, Managing Attorney, Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY)
Indi McCasey, Executive Director, Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI)
Norbert G. McCloskey, Executive Director, Ithaca Health Alliance/Ithaca Free Clinic
Members of the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca
Schelley Michell-Nunn, Member, Community Leaders of Color (CLOC)
Tommy Miller, Social Justice Artist
Nina Miller, Retired health care executive
Heather Mount, Executive Director, Coddington Road Community Center, Inc.
Louise Mygatt, League of Women Voters
Tina Nilsen-Hodges, Principal and Superintendent, New Roots Charter School
Ducson Nguyen, Alderperson, Ward 2, City of Ithaca
Bridgette Nugent, Deputy County Administrator, Tompkins County
Derek Osborne, Sheriff, Tompkins County
Adelaide Park Gomer President, Park Foundation
Dr. Veronica Pillar, Legislator, Tompkins County District 2
Dominick Recckio, Communications Director, Tompkins County
Kristina M. Rennekamp, Trustee, Village of Cayuga Heights
Emily Richards, CRE She/her/hers, Director of Congregational Life, Director of Religious Exploration, First Unitarian Society of Ithaca
Martha Robertson, Former Chair, Tompkins County Legislature
Richard F. Robinson, Trustee and Deputy Mayor, Village of Cayuga Heights
Eric Rosario, Co-Founder, Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County
Lance Salisbury, Supervising Attorney, Assigned Counsel Program
Dr. Tanya Saunders, Trustee, New Roots Charter School
Kate Shanks-Booth, MBA (she/her/hers), Director of Youth Services, Tompkins County
Meaghan Sheehan Rosen, Coordinator, Friendship Donations Network
Dr. Thomas Shevory, Trustee, New Roots Charter School
Harry Smith, BlackHands Universal
Christopher R. Sponn, Executive Director, Tompkins County Workforce Development
Jeffrey B. Smith, Director, Tompkins County Highway Department
Peyi Soyinka-Airewele, Professor, Ithaca College & Chair, Tompkins County Human Rights Commission
Michael J. Stitley, Director, Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response
Jennifer Tavares, CEcD, President and CEO, Tompkins Chamber of Commerce
Julia Taylor, Executive Director, Civic Ensemble
Cate Thompson, Trustee, New Roots Charter School
Gina Tinker-Williams, Executive Director, Conflict Dispute and Resolution Center
Tompkins County Human Rights Commission
Marguerite Uphoff, MD
Matthew Van Houten, Tompkins County District Attorney
Dr. Joseph Wilson, Trustee, New Roots Charter School
Anke Wessels, Executive Director, Center for Transformative Action
Linda Woodard Mayor, Village of Cayuga Heights
Karen Yearwood
Last updated August 9, 2024